Cherry Bomb Kitchen

Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls

Joanne Taylor — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:19:39 +0000

This recipe is perfect for the summer months. Cool, crisp and light, it’s filled with vegetables and has a bit of protein that makes a light lunch or dinner. The shrimp add so much to this dish but if you buy frozen like I did be careful and make sure that they are de-veined and the tails taken off.

These spring rolls are made with rice paper. Rice paper is a staple in the Vietnamese kitchen. If you’ve never wrapped with rice paper don’t worry, if I can do it so can you. This is actually my second time using rice paper. Not too shabby if I say so myself. They aren’t very expensive if you want to practice as well. After the rice paper is soaked in warm water and softened, you wrap them the same way as a burrito.

The dipping sauce has some kick to it provided by the Sriracha sauce. Sriracha sauce is a Thai hot sauce. You can read more about it here. If you don’t like heat decrease the Sriracha sauce.

Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls

By Joanne Taylor, 2013/05/18

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2

Ingredients:

Spring Rolls
Rice Paper - 4
Shrimp Cooked - 16-20 Frozen, thawed, tails removed and cleaned
Lettuce - 0.5 Cup Chopped
English Cucumber - 0.5 Large, Cut Into Match Size Sticks
Carrot - 0.5 Large, Use A Peeler To Make Ribbons
Mint - Fresh, 8 whole leaves
Cilantro - Fresh, 1/4 Cup Chopped Fine
Dip
Lime Juice - 1 fresh squeezed
Water - 0.25 Cup
Garlic Clove - Crushed
White Sugar - 1 tsp
Sriracha Sauce - 2 tsp

Instructions:

Soak the rice paper in warm water until the wrap is pliable. I just used a big plate and filled it with water. You also want to turn the rice paper around to get both side equally moistened.
Put the rice paper on a cutting board and place 4 shrimp in the middle. Top with a bit of lettuce, cucumber, carrot, 2 mint leaves and cilantro. You can change up the ingredients to what you have on hand.
Fold over the corner closest to you over the filling, then fold over both the left and right sides. This is the same wrapping technique as a burrito. Try and keep it as tight as possible without ripping the rice paper.
Continue rolling the spring roll while keeping the filling tightly wrapped until it's fully rolled.
Repeat until all 4 rice paper wraps are rolled.
To make the dip mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

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Peperoncino, Leek & Chard Tortilla

Joanne Taylor — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:43:55 +0000

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers out there. Peperoncino, leek & chard tortilla makes a great Mother’s Day lunch or dinner. I know it would make me happy.

A tortilla is a Spanish omelette usually made with fried eggs, potatoes and onions. (Not to be confused with corn tortillas the Mexican flat bread.) It is served either hot or cold. In Spain it’s sometimes served cold on a stick as tapas. This recipe doesn’t have potatoes but it has Peperoncino, leeks and Swiss Chard. Peperoncino is Asiago cheese with red peppers. The red peppers are added to the curd during the cheese making process to create a spicy cheese.

Tortilla makes a nice vegetarian dish best served with a simple salad. My salad consisted of baby spinach and cherry tomatoes, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Crusty Bread could also be served on the side.

Peperoncino, Leek & Chard Tortilla

By Joanne Taylor, 2013/05/09

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4

Nutrition facts: WW: 7 points;

Ingredients:

Eggs - 6 Beaten
Milk - 0.125 Cup
Peperoncino or Asiago Cheese - 0.5 Cup, Grated
Leaks - 1 Finely Sliced
Swiss Chard - 4 Cups, Chopped & Rinsed
Butter - 0.5 tbsp
Olive Oil - 0.5 tbsp
Salt - To Taste
Pepper - Fresh Cracked, To Taste

Instructions:

Slice the leaks finely and soak in water. Any sand will sink to the bottom. Leaks are prone to have sand stuck in it. Dry off. Saute in a cast iron pan with a bit of olive oil until they have a bit of colour. Set aside.
Add the chopped swiss chard to the pan sauteing until wilted and cooked. When all of the liquid is evaporated and the swiss chard is cooked, set them aside.
Beat the eggs with the milk. Add the rest of the butter and olive oil to the pan. Make sure the the pan is coated. Add the eggs in the pan. Quickly add the leaks and swiss chard. Swirl into the egg. Top with the cheese.
Allow the bottom to cook. This took 4 minutes. Put the cast iron pan under the broiler in the oven until the top is set and cooked. This took 12 minutes.
Slice into 4 portions and enjoy.

Caramelized Onion & Gouda Grilled Cheese

Joanne Taylor — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:19:55 +0000

Sometimes all you want is ooey gooey cheese. Nothing says ooey gooey cheese than grilled cheese but not any old grilled cheese. Make it special with caramelized onions and jalapeño gouda. The jalapeño gouda add just enough heat to switch things up. Bakery fresh French bread finished off this twist on an old classic. This isn’t a diet friendly sandwich and I don’t eat it very often.

If you need a recipe for caramelized onions, I have one here. These keep well in the fridge. Add caramelized onions to all kinds of things. Think burgers — but now back to grilled cheese. Yummy! I actually used the same frying pan to make the grilled cheese after the onions so it absorbs some of the onion flavour on the outside as well.

Caramelized Onion & Gouda Grilled Cheese

By Joanne Taylor, 2013/05/09

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes
Yield: 1

Ingredients:

French Bread - 2 slices
Caramelized Onions - 0.25 cup
Jalapeño Gouda - 0.5 cup large grate or sliced
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Instructions:

Spread the caramelized onions onto the bread and top with the Gouda.
Heat up a cast iron pan to medium.
Half the olive oil goes into the pan. Make sure to coat the bottom. If you need more oil that's ok too.
Place sandwich in the pan. This is where I do things different. Find another cast iron frying pan and use it to weigh down the sandwich. If you don't have another pan just use a spatula and keep pressing the sandwich down. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn.
Flip the sandwich and repeat on the other side.
Serve with a chutney, or ketchup. Enjoy.

Caramelized Onions

Joanne Taylor — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:42:12 +0000

Caramelized onions are so versatile and flavourful. You can add them on top of hamburgers, hotdogs, sandwiches or in eggs. Here’s a list of recipes that I have used caramelized onions in.

Ham & caramelized onion quiche

Caramelized Onion & Gouda Grilled Cheese

I decided to start a pantry section of the website. These are recipes that use items you probably already have in your pantry. I also use them in different recipes on the website and instead of repeating the steps over and over I can refer you to the specific page. You could also use them in your own recipes.

Caramelized Onions

By Joanne Taylor, 2013/05/06

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Onions - Red, Yellow, Cooking, Thinly Sliced
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Instructions:

Heat up a frying pan, I used a cast iron one, on low and start caramelizing your onions using the olive oil. This is something that takes a long time. I think I took 40 minutes to make these. Stir periodically to make sure nothing burns and every bit gets a chance to caramelize. You will know it's finished because the onions start to look mushy and golden.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Joanne Taylor — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:39:19 +0000

I have always loved peanut butter cookies and the combination of chocolate and peanut butter is my guilty pleasure. Not a healthy cookie but in moderation it’s a welcome treat.

This is a simple peanut butter recipe adapted right from the Kraft peanut butter jar. I’ve added dark chocolate to the mix because I love it. Other yummy additions are chopped peanuts, candies or milk chocolate chips. This makes a perfect base for whatever you want. Next time I plan on trying drizzled chocolate on top.

Without flour, these cookies are gluten free and easy to make. So many people eat gluten free due to medical issues. I find the cookies come out of the oven moist and will fall apart if you try and take them off the pan. Have patience. As the cookies cool they become firm.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Joanne Taylor, 2013/05/01

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: 24

Nutrition facts: WW: 3 points;

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter - 1 cup
Sugar - 0.5 cup
Egg - 1, Beaten
Dark Chocolate Chips - 0.5 cup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F
Mix all ingredients.
Roll into balls, place on cookie sheet and press with fork in criss cross pattern.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Cool for awhile on cookie sheet before taking off with spatula. These cookies are moist and will break easily until cooled.

Cherry Blast – Issue 6

Joanne Taylor — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Recipe Roundup

Cinco de Mayo – May 5 2013
With Cinco de Mayo coming up soon, I thought I’d do a roundup of recipes.

At the Movies

Jurassic Park
We went to see Jurassic Park on Saturday in 3D. I was so good. I never saw it on the big screen back in 1993. What a difference it makes. It was made a complete experience by sneaking in some treats from Sugar Mountain. If you are interested here’s a Jurassic Park behind the scenes.